USC gets big and bad on defense in early statement win over Fresno State

The USC Trojans dominated the Fresno State Bulldogs in Week One, improving to 2-0 on the season with a commanding 39-0 shutout victory. The Bulldogs’ offense struggled to find rhythm, failing to surpass 100 total yards until the final drive of the game that ultimately ended in a turnover on downs after Jayden Mandal was sacked at the USC eight-yard line.

USC will finish out its non-conference schedule next week against Louisiana and then business will really pick up with Rutgers, Oregon, Washington and Penn State on the Big Ten schedule before the bye week.

Jayden Maiava and the Trojans defense is a winning combination

For the second consecutive game to open the season, the USC defense has shut out its opponent in the first half. The Trojans have been remarkably dominant through the first two weeks, outscoring their opponents 58-0 in the opening thirty minutes of play. While the defense has certainly been a major factor,

Jayden Maiava is performing at an elite level. His offensive efficiency has been so stellar that he has recorded more touchdowns than incompletions through the first two weeks of the season. His play has been so phenomenal that he broke his own program record for single-game completion percentage, a record he set just last week against San Jose State. If you’re superstitious, look away, but this is undeniably Heisman-caliber football.

The 2026 recruiting class is something special

For the second consecutive week, the 2026 freshman class served as a major bright spot in an impressive outing for the Trojans. While the offense’s overall effectiveness has become the expected standard at this stage of the season, wide receivers Trent Mosley and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt stood out, with both players eclipsing the 100-yard receiving mark and Mosley securing two touchdowns. Dixon-Wyatt led all pass catchers on the night with six catches.

USC fans were out in full force on Friday night

Despite the ongoing, unnecessary debate surrounding attendance from the San Jose State game, the USC faithful showed up in force, creating the picturesque atmosphere inside the Coliseum on a beautiful Los Angeles evening.

It's worth saying again: The defense was GREAT

While I have touched on the defense’s performance, the unit’s absolute dominance deserves further recognition. USC pitched a shutout against an offense that prides itself on its rushing attack, limiting the Bulldogs to a meager 1.3 yards per carry. Quarterback Jayden Mandal struggled to find any rhythm, completing just 7 of 15 passes for 77 yards.

Perhaps the most impressive statistic of the night was two, as in the number of safeties the Trojans forced through sheer pressure and relentless sack production. Mandal was sacked five times with safety Kennedy Urlacher contributing two of those, one of which resulted in a safety.

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